


Three times Ray fell a little in love with Nate, and the time he landed

by SarahJeanne



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-20
Updated: 2010-08-20
Packaged: 2017-10-11 04:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahJeanne/pseuds/SarahJeanne





	Three times Ray fell a little in love with Nate, and the time he landed

I.  
Ray is standing on a chair, doing his best impression of Saturday night's stripper when Gunny shouts from behind him. "Person, what the fuck are you doing?"

"Oh come on, Gunny," he says as he turns around, "you know you love my-." He stops short when he sees the bars on the collar of the person standing next to Gunny. "Oh." He drops his hands to his sides from where he was caressing his chest.

"This is Lieutenant Fick," Gunny says, straight-faced. He looks at the Lieutenant and motions to the guys sitting behind Ray. "These are your men. And that's Ray Person."

"Hey, LT," Ray says, big and welcoming.

"_Ray_." Brad snaps from behind him.

"I mean Lieutenant. Sir." Ray snaps to salute and looks like a very pathetic imitation of a statue, standing on the chair with his arm raised.

Fick returns the salute and Ray jumps off the chair to gather with all the good little boys and listen to what their new leader has to say. Fick is solemn and serious throughout, but every time Ray catches his eye, Ray swears he's trying to hold back a smile.

II.  
Ray has three cases of beer and three handles of various hard liquors in his cart when he almost crashes into Nate. "Oh…hey, LT," he says. If he thought Nate looked young on a day-to-day basis, on a Saturday, in jeans and a t-shirt, he could pass for a high school-er.  
Nate is, of course, holding a modest, one six-pack of organic beer, or some shit like that.

Nate looks from the cart to Ray with one eyebrow raised. "Expecting company?"

"Yeah, let's say that." Ray grins. "That definitely sounds like the right answer."

His lips definitely twitch, but Nate manages to keep his poker face. "Don't do anything stupid okay? The paperwork would really ruin my week."

"You got it, sir. I would hate to burden you like that."

Nate actually smiles. "Have a good one, Ray." He heads for the register.

"Oh, I will," Ray calls after him. _He_ heads for the wine aisles.

III.  
"Where's Brad?"

Ray startles from where he was staring blankly out the windshield with radio in hand. "What?" he asks, reaching for the ripped fuel as he tries to figure out exactly how long he'd been sleeping with his eyes open while on watch.

"Where's Brad?" Nate asks again, and Ray looks to his right, half expecting him to be there.

"Ray." Ray turns his head back. "He's not in the vehicle."

"Oh." Ray remembers. "He's, uhh, out taking a walk, sir," Ray says, while mimicking a combat jack with his right hand.

Nate rolls his eyes. "Let him know I'm looking for him when he gets back." He turns on his heel and starts to go.

"Hey, LT." Nate turns back around. "I could point you in his direction if you wanted to catch up." Ray wriggles his eyebrows.

"No, thank you, Ray." Nate almost looks like he would be smiling if he were awake enough. "Brad"--he emphasizes the word--"is not my style."

IV.  
They have a couple of beers. And then reminiscing becomes bickering. And bickering becomes yelling. Ray accuses Nate of abandoning his men, Nate points out that Ray left the corps too, and Ray says that at least he's able to pick up a phone.

They intrude on each other's space as they fight until they're face-to-face, a breath away from touching. Nate deflates, just a little. "I needed- I couldn't- _Ray_." His face crumples and his voice breaks, like he's pleading for Ray to understand.

"Oh," Ray says, getting it. It's a lot harder to look back on your ex when the break up was messy. And the Corps certainly did her best to fuck with Nate.

But then Nate puts his hand on Ray's neck, his fingers starting to run through Ray's hair. "Hey. LT, I-" _shouldn't. can't. This is a bad idea._ Ray means to let him down gently, but that stoic mask starts to slip back on to his face and every reason this _is_ a bad idea goes right out of his head when he presses his lips against Nate's.


End file.
